In Turkey, especially in metropolises such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, license plate prices and rental income have skyrocketed due to taxi rent. Despite reaching the highest level in history, it is still argued that it is much less than its value. So how is it actually?
How much are the taxi license plate prices?
Taxi issue has caused great controversy especially in Istanbul in recent years. On the one hand, there are the IMM, which wants to add thousands of new taxis under the roof of the municipality, as a result of its researches, that the number and service is insufficient, and on the other hand, there are taxi driver’s rooms, which say that the main problem is traffic and efficiency, even in terms of plate value.
When we bring together all the claims, research and suggestions, we see that the parties are right in their own way. But there is also a service side to the citizens. Before going into the details of the subject, let’s share the point where the taxi license plate prices and rental income levels according to the provinces.
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- Istanbul: 5.1 million TL
- Ankara: 3.2 million TL
- Izmir: 5 million TL
- Bursa: 7 million TL
- Antalya: 4 million TL
- Konya: 2 million TL
- Adana: 450 thousand TL
- Tekirdag: 1.7 million TL
- Edirne: 1.4 million TL
- Trabzon: 700 thousand TL
note: Average prices are taken. It may vary up to 2 million TL depending on the region and station.
How much is the taxi license plate rental income?
Those who sell taxi license plates also ensure that the vehicle is operated by 2 or 3 different drivers in return for monthly rental income. When we look at the details of Istanbul, we see that the stop fee, traffic insurance, tire and vehicle maintenance costs of the license plate holder and the insurance payments of the employees amount to approximately 10 thousand TL per month.
When the salaries of the employees are subtracted from the monthly income along with these costs, the taxi license plate owner receives a net rental income of 10 to 15 thousand TL. Of course, if he wants to operate it himself instead of renting it out, this amount can be doubled. So, is there a need for a new taxi in Istanbul in this period when we come to the end of 2022?
Why is there a taxi problem in Istanbul?
According to the research conducted by the IMM, the main reason for the taxi problem in Istanbul is due to the insufficient number of them. So much so that in 1990, new license plates were sold for the last time. Since then, the total number of taxi license plates is 17 thousand 395.
This means that although Istanbul, which had a population of 7 million in 1990, hosts nearly 20 million people 32 years later, it does not have enough taxis. Of course, in this process, the number and use of public transportation vehicles such as metro and metrobus increased.
Has public transport reduced the need for taxis?
Metrobus, which has the highest number of passengers in the world in the city, is no longer sufficient. For this reason, it is expected to carry out projects similar to HızRay in the coming years. But as said, the need for taxis has not decreased. On the contrary, it is increasing.
But the number of taxis is not the only problem. Citizens who see the plate prices we shared above think that these taxis are luxury cars. But on the contrary, the cheapest cars on the market are chosen. We can look at this from a different angle by comparing the tools.
For example, a tourist waiting to take a taxi at the airport would like to get into a 2022 model Mercedes C-series or an old model, crashed and unclean Renault Clio or Fiat Linea. The same goes for citizens.
Therefore, there is a large gap between the taxi license plate prices and the value of the vehicles used. In addition, thousands of complaints are received every month for taxi drivers who do not take short distances, extend routes, do not open taximeters and demand high prices due to today’s economic conditions.
IMM, on the other hand, wants to implement 5 thousand new taxi projects and operate them within the municipality. The cars to be used will be uniform vehicles with a special design. But this offer was rejected 15 times at UKOME. The reason is possible loss of income.
It is argued that people who bought a taxi license plate, which the state recognized years ago, are also an investment tool, that if they bought land or property instead of a taxi license plate, they would gain much more value, and even if the municipality operates, the emergence of new license plates will increase the loss.
For this reason, they openly say that if İBB sells license plates, they will accept and buy them and they will continue the same order, otherwise they will say no. The municipality, on the other hand, says that this proposal cannot be accepted because it is trying to change the system.
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